Look for this sign on Newburgh Road to reach the boat launch on Hermon Pond.
Hermon Pond is a 461-acre body of water located in Hermon, Penobscot County, Maine (see The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map 22 B5). The public access point is found on the western side of the pond in Hermon Pond Park at the end of Jackson Beach Road off Newburgh Road. The cement boat launch is spacious, and the huge adjoining parking lot can accommodate dozens of vehicles.
View of Hermon Pond from the boat launch.
Hermon Pond is only lightly developed but is not particularly pretty. It supports a year-round warm-water fishery (e.g., white perch, crappy, largemouth bass) and a seasonal “put-and-take” brook trout fishery. The trout are stocked annually in the fall to support fall and winter fishing. Any trout remaining at the end of the hard-water season are available to be caught in the spring but are not expected to survive into the following summer. The reason is that this lake is shallow (mean depth = 10 ft.; maximum depth = 17 ft.), does not form a thermocline in the summer, and experiences a severe oxygen deficiency near the bottom during the warmer months. The general fishing laws for the South Zone apply at this location, with no specific restrictions during the fall season, i.e., all legal fishing methods can be used during this period and the bag limit on brook trout is two fish measuring a minimum of 6 inches. Click here for a depth map and additional fisheries information.
This first brookie tells me that I am fishing in the right area.
I arrive at the Hermon Pond boat launch at 7:15 am. The sky is partially sunny, a stiff breeze blows in from the northwest, and the air temperature is in the mid-40’s. I am the only angler at the scene, which is just the way I like it. The air feels chilly and I layer up well before donning my waders. I forego the canoe, which I have with me, in the hope that I can find the brookies relatively close to shore. I hunt using my ultralight fishing rod, small spinning reel spooled with light monofilament, and a #2 Mepps spinner. This combination allows me to cast the lure a country-mile away, particularly when the wind blows in my back, as it does this morning. It is also light and simple, and lets me cover distance without much encumbrance.
The pretty fall spawning colors never disappoint.
I enter the cold water of Hermon Pond at the boat launch and start wading towards the right. The quality of the substrate varies greatly depending on a specific area of shoreline; it consists of soft muck, slippery boulders, or firm gravel. The latter is a pleasure to walk on; the other two are a pain to work with… It appears that the lake level is 3 to 4 ft. below normal, which reflects the extreme drought conditions that have prevailed across the state since June. Normally, after casting the lure out, I let it sink towards the bottom for several seconds before starting the retrieve. That approach does not work this morning due to the relatively shallow depths and because the submerged aquatic vegetation has not yet fully died back. I have to keep the spinner closer to the surface to prevent it from constantly fouling up with plants. I have been wading and casting for over 30 minutes but only have two small largemouth bass to show for all my efforts. I finally get a hard hit and a strong fight. Yes, this is one of the target brookies I was hoping for! I net the fish and wade back to shore to take pictures to avoid accidentally dropping my phone into the water while manhandling an uncooperative slippery creature. The fishing is slow but, over the next hour and a half, I succeed in hooking and landing two more trout, one of which is a fat 15.5 incher. I call it good after two hours of cold fishing, glad that I connected with several nice brookies. All were released to fight another day.
This brookie is the biggest of the morning.
The results: I caught 3 brook trout (largest = 15.5 inches) in two hours of fishing.
Was the information in this blog useful? I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions. Also, feel free to discuss your fishing experiences at this location.
Tight Lines, y’all.
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